basemetal:Meh, even Okla rednecks know how to make meth, it's not like a national secret.

They know how to make it badly. By and large their lab technique could use some work. It tends to be...irregular...at best.

I have a cousin in TN who has blown up no fewer than 3 trailers with meth labs gone wrong. And he's careful and doesn't use his own product. It's tricky work.

He also accidentally killed his dog with the fumes. It's a strangely frightening thing to watch a man that hard (you do NOT want to cross him...he's like the hard-ass uncle in Winter's Bone) break down and cry like a little girl. It makes you want to be someplace else. Fast. You know, just in case he starts looking for someone to take it out on.

SlothB77:It is amazing that the same doormat from Malcolm in the Middle is such a badass now.

Hey, he was a pretty menacing fed on X-Files too. That's one of the reasons why he got this job, actually. The showrunner, Vince Gilligan, had directed that episode and worked well with Cranston. Then years later he was channel surfing, came across Malcolm in the Middle and found he didn't realize that he could pull off funny too (guessing he didn't watch Seinfeld). So when he was working on Breaking Bad Cranston was on a very very short list of actors he had in mind because he needed someone to pull off menacing and manically funny too. I think you need a degree of no shame to play Walter White and Malcolm's dad had absolutely none.

whistleridge:basemetal: Meh, even Okla rednecks know how to make meth, it's not like a national secret.

They know how to make it badly. By and large their lab technique could use some work. It tends to be...irregular...at best.

I have a cousin in TN who has blown up no fewer than 3 trailers with meth labs gone wrong. And he's careful and doesn't use his own product. It's tricky work.

He also accidentally killed his dog with the fumes. It's a strangely frightening thing to watch a man that hard (you do NOT want to cross him...he's like the hard-ass uncle in Winter's Bone) break down and cry like a little girl. It makes you want to be someplace else. Fast. You know, just in case he starts looking for someone to take it out on.

Well, yeah. It's not like quality control is that important, but figuring the life expectancy and overall health effects of long term meth use, it's not like it's the adulterants that are going to kill them.

basemetal:Well, yeah. It's not like quality control is that important, but figuring the life expectancy and overall health effects of long term meth use, it's not like it's the adulterants that are going to kill them.

Only for the users. For those who are in it for the money - the guys that have as much contempt for the users as you do - it's actually important to make sure the adulterants aren't too strong, or they could kill themselves.

But yeah, I doubt there's a single meth maker on the planet who is concerned about the health effects of his/her product on the end user. Even on its best day, it's nasty, nasty stuff. Almost as bad as sniffing gasoline.

eh big deal, I was taught how to make meth in college, during a class. Of course one of the possible career directions for us was to be cleaning up meth labs. Kind of important to know the process if you're going to be coming into a place that has shock sensitive chemical buildup all over everything.

Gus's death was the most gruesome and awesome death I have ever seen on TV.

Yet so appropriate - a man in control could only meet such a violent end with dignity.

I sincerely hope Giancarlo Esposito gets more work he deserves it.

I agree 100% great character played by an awesome actor. He is currently on Revolution and is by far the best part of that show.

That's not saying much. Revolution sucks, bad.

I am watching it but it is lacking something. It feels like it isn't completely thought out. Hopefully they can outline the show better in the future and concentrate on good story arcs. Also needs more sub plot.

Gus's death was the most gruesome and awesome death I have ever seen on TV.

Yet so appropriate - a man in control could only meet such a violent end with dignity.

I sincerely hope Giancarlo Esposito gets more work he deserves it.

Gus' pride killed him. The same thing that is going to be Walt's undoing.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!!

I have three theories on how the show ends.

1) Hank brings walter down. All along, hank was the good guy and walter was the bad guy. think about every movie you've ever seen and think about Hanks's journey...it parallels that of the "good guy"...While Walter parallels that of the bad guy. It's be a fitting end...Hank doing what his superios couldn't do with Gus.

2) Jessie kills walter. He figures out about the poisoning of the kid, killing mike, etc....Jessie just shows up, points a gun a walter and shoots him...just like he did with gale.

1) Hank brings walter down. All along, hank was the good guy and walter was the bad guy. think about every movie you've ever seen and think about Hanks's journey...it parallels that of the "good guy"...While Walter parallels that of the bad guy. It's be a fitting end...Hank doing what his superios couldn't do with Gus.

2) Jessie kills walter. He figures out about the poisoning of the kid, killing mike, etc....Jessie just shows up, points a gun a walter and shoots him...just like he did with gale.

Gus's death was the most gruesome and awesome death I have ever seen on TV.

Yet so appropriate - a man in control could only meet such a violent end with dignity.

I sincerely hope Giancarlo Esposito gets more work he deserves it.

Gus' pride killed him. The same thing that is going to be Walt's undoing.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!!

I have three theories on how the show ends.

1) Hank brings walter down. All along, hank was the good guy and walter was the bad guy. think about every movie you've ever seen and think about Hanks's journey...it parallels that of the "good guy"...While Walter parallels that of the bad guy. It's be a fitting end...Hank doing what his superios couldn't do with Gus.

2) Jessie kills walter. He figures out about the poisoning of the kid, killing mike, etc....Jessie just shows up, points a gun a walter and shoots him...just like he did with gale.

his character has changed too much, hes become the monster he used to fight, and now he will be toppled.

hank is an interesting plot line at this point. we know he knows everything now. the question is, what will he do about it? will he say F the DEA and go in with him? will he try to take him down? will walt kill him? i somehow dont see him killing walt; he'll realize over the course of the show i think how much walt's done for him, will have a clash of conscience killing the guy who rehabilitated him and perhaps in his mind at least save dhim from the mexican mafia guys...

if anyone kills walt itll be an "et tu brute" kinda moment and either be skylar or jessie.

Father_Jack:hank is an interesting plot line at this point. we know he knows everything now. the question is, what will he do about it? will he say F the DEA and go in with him? will he try to take him down? will walt kill him? i somehow dont see him killing walt; he'll realize over the course of the show i think how much walt's done for him, will have a clash of conscience killing the guy who rehabilitated him and perhaps in his mind at least save dhim from the mexican mafia guys...

I don't think I considered Hank possibly joining up with Walt. That would be an interesting twist.

The fact the S5 intro showed him using a new identity makes me think he already used Saul's guy to disappear at least until the heat died down. I guess the real question, who is on his hit list? Hank? the DEA in general? Everyone?

basemetal:whistleridge: basemetal: Meh, even Okla rednecks know how to make meth, it's not like a national secret.

They know how to make it badly. By and large their lab technique could use some work. It tends to be...irregular...at best.

I have a cousin in TN who has blown up no fewer than 3 trailers with meth labs gone wrong. And he's careful and doesn't use his own product. It's tricky work.

He also accidentally killed his dog with the fumes. It's a strangely frightening thing to watch a man that hard (you do NOT want to cross him...he's like the hard-ass uncle in Winter's Bone) break down and cry like a little girl. It makes you want to be someplace else. Fast. You know, just in case he starts looking for someone to take it out on.

Well, yeah. It's not like quality control is that important, but figuring the life expectancy and overall health effects of long term meth use, it's not like it's the adulterants that are going to kill them.

i think when I went to university, some chemistry students turned a chemistry lab into a meth lab. someone had access or something, so they'd go make meth all night long. went on for a couple years, i think, before getting busted.

no one ever seems to understand, if you want to be in the drug trade, the difficult part is not getting or selling the drugs. it's paying the right officials and not getting killed (or turned in) by the much more advanced (criminally) competition.

pute kisses like a man:I think when I went to university, some chemistry students turned a chemistry lab into a meth lab. someone had access or something, so they'd go make meth all night long. went on for a couple years, i think, before getting busted.

no one ever seems to understand, if you want to be in the drug trade, the difficult part is not getting or selling the drugs. it's paying the right officials and not getting killed (or turned in) by the much more advanced (criminally) competition.

So far as I can tell, the principle qualifications for a successful drug career are:

1. To be completely, utterly, and ruthlessly without compunction when it comes to you vs the competition. There can be no laws, rules, lines, gentleman's agreements, general understandings, etc. You do what needs to be done, everytime. Instantly.

2. To be willing to accept at least some jail time, and to accept that while in jail, you will be utterly friendless and alone and that 'survival of the fittest' means being harder, faster, stronger, meaner, and more cunning than anyone else.

3. To be willing to forever live under threat of imminent death, torture, assault, etc.

In my experience, college stoners just don't have what it takes to hang. Kind of like the pot growers in Lock, Stock...; amateurs in a grimly professional business where the stakes are always life and death.

whistleridge:pute kisses like a man: I think when I went to university, some chemistry students turned a chemistry lab into a meth lab. someone had access or something, so they'd go make meth all night long. went on for a couple years, i think, before getting busted.

no one ever seems to understand, if you want to be in the drug trade, the difficult part is not getting or selling the drugs. it's paying the right officials and not getting killed (or turned in) by the much more advanced (criminally) competition.

So far as I can tell, the principle qualifications for a successful drug career are:

1. To be completely, utterly, and ruthlessly without compunction when it comes to you vs the competition. There can be no laws, rules, lines, gentleman's agreements, general understandings, etc. You do what needs to be done, everytime. Instantly.

2. To be willing to accept at least some jail time, and to accept that while in jail, you will be utterly friendless and alone and that 'survival of the fittest' means being harder, faster, stronger, meaner, and more cunning than anyone else.

3. To be willing to forever live under threat of imminent death, torture, assault, etc.

In my experience, college stoners just don't have what it takes to hang. Kind of like the pot growers in Lock, Stock...; amateurs in a grimly professional business where the stakes are always life and death.

One critical difference: drug dealers have to prepared at all times to immediately defend their actual person from a wide range of physical assaults. Politicians and CEO hire lawyers and bodyguards. It makes them a LOT softer.

1) Hank brings walter down. All along, hank was the good guy and walter was the bad guy. think about every movie you've ever seen and think about Hanks's journey...it parallels that of the "good guy"...While Walter parallels that of the bad guy. It's be a fitting end...Hank doing what his superios couldn't do with Gus.

2) Jessie kills walter. He figures out about the poisoning of the kid, killing mike, etc....Jessie just shows up, points a gun a walter and shoots him...just like he did with gale.

The penultimate battle may be between Walt and Hank, or Walt and Jesse, but at this point, Hank is going to sit on this revelation for a bit. Every time he's come inches from finding a break in the case, Heisenberg has covered his tracks with nothing but blood. The last case, killing all of Mike's guys, that had to show Hank that whoever Heisenberg is, he's one ruthless SOB.

So he comes to realize it's Walt, while taking a dump in Walt's house...what do you think Hank is thinking? This guy killed everyone around him to preserve his identity, so what do you think he'll do to Hank and his family?

I do believe Walt is gonna die in the end. But what I think happens is an unholy union of sorts with Skylar, Jesse and Hank. They force Walt to disappear, to leave them all alone. But as we see in the beginning of S5, Walt isn't having that. So he goes after Hank and Jesse, and it ends with Jesse and Walt shooting each other. They might even go cheesy and have the shootout take place in the high school classroom.

Vince Gilligan doesn't even know how the series will end yet. Which is kind of scary to consider.

When Cranston asked him for direction regarding the season opening flash-forward, Gilligan told him "You've returned to rescue someone." When Cranston asked "Is the cancer back?" Gilligan replied "possibly."

Vince Gilligan has said they don't really know who or why yet (or, at least after the last 8 episodes) and were basically writing a setup to fill in later. They also don't know how Walt got out of the business. So everything is open to speculation now.

SPOILERS BELOW!

Todd was Walter's new assistant, but seems untrustworthy. He's OK with shooting a kid, but won't take Walt's money until he knows how to cook? That's shady. He also seems new to crime and doesn't seem to be too well respected with his skinhead uncle.

Jesse is obviously not cooking with Walt anymore, and didn't start again, since Walt gave him his $5 million from the giant pile.

Skyler shows Walt the cash, prompting him to quit.

SPECULATION BELOW!

Walt finishes training Todd. Todd learns the business, and when it's time for Walt to get out, Walt vouches for him, either to Declan (the guy who wanted to buy the methylamine) or to the Nazi uncle. Todd, who has otherwise done great for Walt, cannot handle the pressure, or perhaps just caves because his bosses make it too stressful, and produces an inferior product. So they are forced to either sell a bad product (after being used to making mountains of cash) or to get Heisenberg back in the kitchen. Walt refuses, as he no longer cares. Walt's pride tells him he made the best meth, and now that him (and Jesse) are out, no one can touch that. His refusal results in people close to him being kidnapped so they can force him to do it. I think they won't take his family (I think they're in witness protection after Hank finds out, which explains the hair grown in and the fake name from the diner). If they take anyone close to him, it'll be Jesse. And so Walt will have to sneak away from his witness protection handlers and free Jesse from the neonazis that Walt got into business with.

Of course, that's all speculation and doesn't account for Hank. So yeah that's a really big hole.

/Breaking Bad has the most fan-fiction writers of any show. They just don't know it.